No mode of transportation can match the adventurous atmosphere of train travel—a fact my wife, Whitney, and I discovered on the low-budget Eurail trips of our respective youths. Years later, though, say the word train and I'm more likely to envision sprinting for the subway so I can get home to my young son, Dashiell, before his bedtime. And to Dash, of course, train is something small, named Thomas, to be played with on the bedroom floor.
As it happens, trains—the old, romantic kind—are making a comeback. Rail lines around the world are offering itineraries to satisfy your wanderlust and your desire for hassle-free together time. Among the most scenic is the Alaska Railroad, which has served the state since 1903 and recently introduced its first-class GoldStar service. While it's hard to get a full Alaska experience in any single trip—the state is about a fifth the size of the entire contiguous U.S.—this is one of the best ways to sample the beauty of the interior. Traveling by rail also gives you the flexibility to make what you will of the area, spending a few days (or a few weeks) before, after, and between rides enjoying the hot springs and the Ice Museum in Fairbanks, the natural wonders of Denali National Park and Preserve, and the restaurants and museums of Anchorage. In the end, though, it's all about the trains.
We chose this trip in part because we'd always dreamed of visiting Alaska, and in part because it seemed doable for Dash (the 12-hour journey can be split into two parts). Still, we were uneasy as we boarded the Denali Star in Fairbanks: How would a toddler who could barely sit still handle multihour train rides? There was no need to worry. Dash looked around excitedly as we felt the car start to move, almost imperceptibly at first, then more forcefully as it picked up speed bit by bit and we entered Alaska's wilderness. Seeing him gaze out the window, all the while echoing the train whistle with his own voice, I began to relax. Meanwhile, my wife went to investigate the open-air viewing deck. She came back some time later, hair wild and eyes wide: "It's a religious experience!" Before disembarking at our first destination, Denali, four hours later, I had confirmed her pronouncement, watching picturesque mining towns and endlessly weaving river valleys zip by.
After a couple of days spent exploring the splendors of Denali—from hikes to sled-dog demonstrations to helicopter rides—we climbed aboard another GoldStar train for the eight-hour ride to Anchorage. Soon, Dash began succumbing to its soporific rhythm. As he indulged himself (and us) in a nap, Whitney and I enjoyed a rare family-vacation pleasure: sipping a shared Alaskan microbrew and losing ourselves in the immense snowcapped mountains outside the window. When we pulled into Anchorage, we realized we were more relaxed than we'd been after any other 350-mile journey in our lives.
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